Even though I've never met Lola in real life, I've been a fan of her amazing work for some time. Over the last couple of years, we've developed an online friendship, through each other's blogs and on Twitter. So when I read the story I'm sharing with you today, about her becoming a National Geographic photographer, I was so immensely proud of her.

"... Not preparatory schools we see portrayed through the lens of the wealthy, but true grit boarding schools. Ones where you entered as a child and left as a resourceful independent adult ready to take on whatever the world throws at you -- from water shortages and food rations to pushing yourself to constantly produce and excel in whatever you do.

But when I was done and ready for college at 15, I was scared. Scared because, even though boarding school had armed me with enough resilience to face challenges head on, I now had the opportunity to pursue those dreams with no clean blueprints. And in pursuing those dreams, I started to realize just how outlandish they seemed.

Did I honestly think National Geographic would ever come knocking? Me? Onòaràloláoluwa from Nigeria? How delusional did I think I was?" (read more)